As expected, once Su Xuan was summoned inside, she fell to her knees with a heavy thud. Just as in her previous life, tears rained down her face as she pitifully recounted how her younger sister had taken her pendant to falsely claim credit for saving the Fifth Prince while keeping him in the dark.
Her entire frame trembled, presenting a picture of helpless fragility. “Your humble servant originally intended to step back and fulfill their happiness. Yet after careful consideration, my heart remains uneasy. After all, this stems from my sister’s willful deceit—the Fifth Prince ought not to be bound by an engagement while kept blind to the truth!”
With that, Su Xuan offered a deep, formal kowtow. “I beg Your Majesty and the Noble Consort to show mercy to my sister.”
Yet in the next breath, Su Xuan heard Emperor Jiaheng’s distinctly bewildered voice. “Engagement? What engagement?”
At the same instant, an uncanny voice rang out inside Su Xuan’s mind: “Satisfaction Points: -10. Halo Points: -10.”
Su Xuan froze. She had clearly seen the palace attendants open the doors earlier, which signaled that her mother was about to leave.
Before entering the palace today, the plan had been to settle the betrothal between Su Niao and the Fifth Prince, Xie Qinglan. Since her mother was already preparing to leave, the engagement should naturally have been finalized.
Su Xuan had deliberately chosen this moment to step forward and reveal the truth. According to the strange voice’s guidance, if she publicly exposed Su Niao right after the imperial marriage decree was granted, Su Niao’s “cannon-fodder value” would skyrocket—which would, in turn, boost her own satisfaction and halo points. How could things have turned out like this?
Emperor Jiaheng looked toward Noble Consort Rong in confusion. “My beloved, what is the meaning of this?”
Noble Consort Rong promptly offered the Emperor a soothing word before turning her gaze to Su Xuan, who remained kneeling on the floor.
Until now, the Noble Consort had always considered the eldest Su daughter to be decent enough—though she inherited her father’s plain looks, she came across as well-educated, demure, and gentle. But having navigated the treacherous undercurrents of the imperial harem for so long, this sudden display made her sense something deeply off.
Hadn’t Su Niao just mentioned that her elder sister already knew the truth and had even comforted her, offering to help conceal it? If she had willingly kept the secret for her sister all this time, why choose this exact moment to expose her?
Liu Ruyu only just snapped back to her senses from the sheer shock. She had always harbored a faint feeling that her eldest daughter held a quiet resentment toward her younger sister, though she could never bring herself to scold her for it. After all, the younger daughter possessed breathtaking beauty renowned throughout the capital; wherever she went, young noblemen would flock around her, eager to gain her favor.
Meanwhile, the eldest daughter was virtually swallowed up by her sister’s brilliant shadow. Whenever anyone brought up the “Miss of the Su Family,” they invariably meant Su Niao, the second daughter. As for the eldest daughter… *Ah, yes, rather quiet, isn’t she? Not much else comes to mind.*
Both were in the flower of their youth, and such a glaring contrast would be painful for anyone to bear. Yet, they were still blood sisters.
Earlier, Liu Ruyu had been furious at her second daughter’s reckless concealment. But hearing Su Niao say her elder sister knew the truth and wanted to support her brought a wave of comfort—at least the sisters loved each other. The elder sister was willing to yield, and the younger sister was willing to pull back from the brink and admit her fault.
She never expected that without the slightest warning, her eldest daughter would drag the whole affair directly before Emperor Jiaheng when everything had already been peacefully resolved.
Since things had already reached this point, Noble Consort Rong naturally dared not deceive the Emperor. Wearing a polite smile, she explained how Su Niao had falsely claimed credit for the rescue, but she also emphasized that Su Niao had recognized her mistake and corrected it in time, fortunately before any serious consequences arose.
Since no marriage decree had been issued, the matter remained minor. Listening to the youngsters’ squabble, the Emperor chuckled and shook his head. “Since this was all caused by Old Fifth, let Old Fifth decide for himself.”
Noble Consort Rong nodded. “Precisely.”
Su Niao immediately stepped forward to admit her fault. “It was all because I was foolish for a moment and committed this wrong. I beg Your Majesty to punish me.”
The Emperor had always been fond of this young lady from the Su family. She was beautiful and lived freely and boldly, and merely seeing her made one feel the vitality of youth. Yet now, she looked like a little peacock wilted by frost, still lovely but visibly dejected.
The Emperor waved his hand with a smile. “You’re all just children. I can’t be bothered involving myself in these little affairs of yours.” With those words, he effortlessly dissolved what could otherwise have become a serious offense.
Meanwhile, Su Xuan’s mind had gone blank. No one knew her younger sister better than she did. No one understood better how much Su Niao, who always loved being the center of attention, valued the position of Fifth Prince’s consort. And yet she had actually confessed the truth about the life-saving favor herself? How was that even possible?
No matter how hard Su Xuan thought about it, she could neither understand nor accept it.
But the fact remained: it had happened. And the accusation she had intended to use against Su Niao for deceiving the Emperor and fraudulently securing a marriage suddenly became awkward and difficult to press.
Not only had Su Niao’s cannon-fodder value failed to increase, but Su Xuan’s own satisfaction points and halo points had actually decreased!
Trembling, Su Xuan couldn’t think of a way to respond. At that moment, she heard Su Niao let out a mocking laugh.
“When I first told you about this, Sister, you said you were willing to help me keep it secret. Yet now you’ve come forward to expose me. I truly don’t understand what it is you’re trying to do.”
Liu Ruyu frowned and quietly reprimanded her. “His Majesty and the Noble Consort haven’t spoken yet. Since when is it your turn to speak?”
It was not that she favored one daughter over the other. She simply hated seeing her two daughters make such an ugly spectacle of themselves over a man.
But Su Niao knew that if she did not speak now, she might never get another chance. Besides, she had never been the obedient, submissive sort. Rather than restraining herself, her momentum only grew stronger.
“Sister, when I confessed the truth to the Noble Consort earlier, I deliberately avoided mentioning certain things. I didn’t reveal that you repeatedly used the excuse of accompanying me on outings to secretly carry on a romance with the Fifth Prince. That’s because I thought our sisterly bond and the reputation of the Duke’s household mattered more. And since you’re so plain-looking, I was willing to give way to you.”
“Today, I had genuinely intended to help fulfill your wishes as well. But I never expected you to stab me in the back over a man!”
Su Xuan was furious at being called plain-looking, and even more shocked by the accusation that she had been secretly involved with the Fifth Prince. “I did no such thing!”
She began to sob. “I knew that speaking the truth would make you hate me, but Niao Niao, we’re sisters. How can you slander me like this and ruin my reputation?”
“Slander you? So you do realize that what you’ve been doing can’t be shown in public.” Su Niao lifted her chin. “You’re still carrying the luminous pearl that the Fifth Prince gave you, aren’t you?”
Su Xuan’s fingers instantly tightened. She swayed as though she might collapse at any moment. “I…”
Su Niao made as if to step forward. “If you won’t admit it, shall I find it myself?”
Su Xuan suddenly froze. The voice in her head rang out again: “Satisfaction points: -5. Halo points: -5.”
Startled, Su Xuan stopped caring about everything else. Using the ability granted by that mysterious voice, she looked toward Xie Qinglan with tear-filled eyes.
The voice continued: “Halo usage: -10.”
When Xie Qinglan saw Su Xuan’s pitiful, tearful appearance, he immediately raised his head and snapped at Su Niao. “That’s enough, Su Niao!”
What he disliked most was her aggressive, overbearing attitude.
“That luminous pearl was something I wanted to give her. If you’re angry, take it out on me.”
Su Niao let out a short laugh. “So you’re already defending her. If you and my sister are so deeply in love, why use me as a cover?”
The phrase “deeply in love” instantly turned Xie Qinglan’s face ashen.
Without yielding an inch, he retorted, “Su Xuan is graceful, intelligent, cultured, and courteous. Compared to your spoiled and domineering behavior, she’s better by a thousand, ten thousand times. Of course I’m going to protect her.”
Su Niao clapped her hands in mock praise. “Then I wish the two of you an early son.”
Xie Qinglan: …
Liu Ruyu’s expression had become unbearably ugly. She rose, apologized to the bewildered Emperor and noble consort, who had been left stunned by the quarrel, then turned toward her eldest daughter.
Suppressing her anger, she said, “Xuan’er, return what was never yours to keep.”
In an instant, everyone present understood Liu Ruyu’s intention. This was not merely about returning a gift. She intended to completely sever any possibility of her eldest daughter having a future with the Fifth Prince.
No mother wanted to see her two daughters become bitter enemies over a man. Regardless of whose fault it was, if this scandal became public, the Su family’s reputation would be utterly ruined.
Su Xuan abruptly looked up. “Mother…”
Seeing that she was unwilling, Liu Ruyu grew even more furious and was about to speak again when a palace attendant announced, “The nursemaid of Duke Ding’s wife, Nanny Qin, requests an audience!”
The corner of Su Niao’s mouth curled slightly.
She had arrived…
Astonishment welled up in Liu Ruyu’s heart, accompanied by an inexplicable sense of foreboding. But with the Emperor and noble consort present, the decision of whether to admit someone or not was no longer hers to make.
And so, Liu Ruyu watched as her nursemaid, Nanny Qin, entered the hall. Her eyes were red from crying as she fell to her knees. After kowtowing to the Emperor and the noble consort to beg forgiveness, she turned and knocked her head heavily against the floor before Liu Ruyu.
“Madam, this old servant is guilty…”
“Second Miss is not actually your biological daughter!”
By the time Nanny Qin tearfully finished recounting the events of the past, Liu Ruyu was already swaying as though she might collapse. But the matter at hand still had to be dealt with. Leaning on a chair for support, she forced herself to kneel before the imperial couple.
“Your Majesty, Your Highness. Today’s farce was all caused by my younger daughter Su Niao’s momentary greed and wrongdoing. This humble subject will send her back to our ancestral home to reflect upon her mistakes. I beg Your Majesty and Your Highness to forgive her.”
Although Su Niao had long expected this outcome, hearing Liu Ruyu change her attitude in an instant and place all the blame on her to protect Su Xuan’s reputation still made her silently mock herself. But it didn’t matter. In her previous life, she had already severed ties with her family. Why should she still cling to any illusions now?
At that moment, the voice sounded again: “Satisfaction points +10. Halo points +10.”
Su Xuan remained kneeling with her head lowered, but a gleam flashed through her eyes. She had known it. Once her mother learned that Su Niao was not her biological daughter, she would naturally choose to protect her real child.
A short while later, the entire Su family left the palace.
After the Emperor departed as well, only Noble Consort Rong and her son remained.
The Noble Consort looked at him. “You truly aren’t going to keep Su Niao?”
Judging by the Su family’s intentions, they were planning to send Su Niao back to their hometown to reflect on her mistakes.
No one could have imagined so much would happen in a single day.
Noble Consort Rong sighed. “You and Su Niao have shared a bond, after all. Today, her world has been turned upside down, and she’s about to be sent away. If you’re still willing to marry her, you could naturally keep her here.”
The image of Su Xuan’s tearful face surfaced in Xie Qinglan’s mind. Then he recalled Su Niao’s forceful, domineering behavior.
Expressionless, he replied, “Your son and Su Niao used to get along and have fun together, but she’s spoiled by nature. We constantly clash and argue. Comparatively speaking, I think the Su family’s eldest daughter is more suited to be a wife.”
Noble Consort Rong frowned. “And how do you know what kind of person Su Xuan is?”
Xie Qinglan did not hide the truth. “Over the past six months, whenever I went out with Niao Niao, she was often there as well. I have come to know her very well. She doesn’t compete for attention, doesn’t fight for things, and is gentle, kind, and timid. It was she who saved my life in the beginning. If I must choose between her and Su Niao, then I’m willing to protect her.”
The more Noble Consort Rong listened, the deeper her frown became.
“She knew perfectly well that you and Su Niao were devoted to one another, yet she frequently accompanied the two of you on your outings? And she allowed you, the widely acknowledged future husband of her younger sister, even if it had never been formally announced, to become so familiar with her character and temperament?”
Xie Qinglan explained, “She was timid. Whenever she was with the other noble ladies, she was always bullied, so she could only cling to her younger sister.”
Noble Consort Rong laughed. “A timid person would dare expose Su Niao’s deception in front of your imperial father like that?”
Almost instinctively, Xie Qinglan replied, “Didn’t she say she couldn’t live with it on her conscience?”
Noble Consort Rong looked at her son, feeling utterly speechless. “She knew the truth for more than half a year, and only now her conscience suddenly can’t bear it?”
She fixed him with a stare. “What else are you hiding from me?”
After a moment of silence, Xie Qinglan spoke. “Half a month ago, Su Xuan confessed her feelings to me. But she didn’t mean anything else by it. She just didn’t want to leave herself with regrets. And I believe she never intended to damage my relationship with Niao Niao. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have helped Niao Niao hide the truth for so long.”
At last, Noble Consort Rong was certain. She let out a long sigh.
“She confessed her feelings to her future brother-in-law, yet claims she had no other intentions? Then what would count as having other intentions?”
Xie Qinglan was still irritated by Su Niao’s repeated taunts of “deeply in love” and “may you soon have a son.” His head throbbed at the memory. Then he recalled Su Xuan’s pale, trembling appearance when she confessed to him, and he could only feel pity.
“The pendant was hers to begin with. There’s nothing wrong with her liking me, is there?”
Noble Consort Rong was exasperated by how blind he was. “If she had revealed the truth the moment she learned it, then yes, there would have been little fault to find. But she told her sister she would support her and keep the secret, then used her sister as a way to get close to you. She confessed to her future brother-in-law. Then she endured in silence until the marriage arrangement, before exposing the truth. And you still don’t think there’s a problem?”
Xie Qinglan remained unmoved. “She’s timid.”
Noble Consort Rong nearly died of anger. “You fool! You’re going to drive your mother to an early grave!”
After a while, she shook her head and sighed. “Su Niao has just suffered a tremendous upheaval, and now her family is sending her away. If you abandon her at a time like this, I’m afraid even the affection you once shared will disappear.”
But Xie Qinglan was resolute. He had already made up his mind. “It was her own stubbornness that turned things into this mess today. If she comes to me, softens her attitude, and admits her mistakes, I might consider giving her another chance. But if she remains the same as always…”
He paused before continuing, “…then I think choosing Su Xuan might not be a bad option either.”
Noble Consort Rong knew her son’s temper all too well. He was stubborn and strong-willed, and no one could persuade him now.
Pressing a hand to her brow, she sighed: “At a time like this, you’re refusing to stand by her… Very well. Just don’t regret it one day.”